Michigan Panthers Set Final Roster For 2025 Season

Mike Nolan prefers that you don’t call it a business decision.

The Michigan Panthers revealed their final 50-man roster on Thursday as the UFL season is set to begin on March 30, and that came with some tough calls for the head coach. 

“It’s probably the only bad thing about the job and it’s necessary — you’ve got to cut down, but it’s never enjoyable,” said Nolan. “The guys, they all deserve to be here and they’ve all done a great job. But nonetheless, you’ve got to do it. So we’re down to 50 players.”

The Panthers will see 32 returners to the team and 18 fresh faces that Nolan believes makes the 2025 squad better than last year’s. Nolan said that the new players weren’t slotted into positions that were open or available, but rather everyone had to compete for their spot on the final roster and each man earned it.

“Players got beat out to get these jobs,” he said. “It wasn’t just by attrition where people graduated and moved on and we have to replace them. They actually competed against the guys who were with us last year.”

When asked about the new additions to the roster making an impact this season, Nolan said his expectations were for the skill position players to make an impact, highlighting running backs Jaden Shirden and Nate McCrary specifically.

“I do believe that Shirden, when he gets his opportunity, I’m hopeful he’ll be noticeable because in practice he’s done a very good job but he does have two good backs,” said Nolan.

While not a new player, Nolan expects McCrary to have a larger role in 2025. Last season, McCrary rushed just 16 times for 60 yards and a touchdown in the four games he appeared. He also had two receptions for 26 yards.

On defense, the Panthers had to release three veterans in the secondary, including KiAnte Hardin and Corrion Ballard. They’re also going with just four corners instead of their usual five, but Nolan said he’s excited about the additions of Keni-H Lovely and D.J. Miller in that group. The Panthers also added two new safeties in Akeem Dent and Tyree Gillespie to bring the total to eight new faces in the secondary. 

“They did beat out people to get the job they have and I’m hoping that shows that we’ve gotten better,” said Nolan, adding that he’ll know the Panthers are better when they “score a lot of points and don’t let our opponents score any.”

Still the decisions weren’t easy for the longtime coach to make.

“It’s a lie when someone says it’s business, because you don’t get hurt. I mean, if it’s business it shouldn’t hurt you,” Nolan said. “Everything’s personal in my opinion. So letting somebody go, we want to be as respectful as we can because we’re giving them bad news.”

The full 2025 Michigan Panthers roster is below: